The classic flavor combination of peanut butter, banana and chocolate never disappoints! These peanut butter banana chocolate chip muffins are simple to make and feature nutritious ingredients like greek yogurt, whole-milled flax seed and oats. 

I always say I’m not a baker, but I can make a mean muffin. Case in point, these peanut butter banana and chocolate chip beauties that I’ve been making for years; a staple recipe in my kitchen!

If there’s time for me to make a homemade snack of some sort, it’s telling that I probably had a relaxing Sunday. I would rather eat something like this over a store-bought bar 100 times over. And, when I can control what goes in, I always try to cram in as much healthy stuff as I can so they are more “fiber” and less “cake for breakfast”.

These particular muffins were inspired by one of my favorite banana bread recipes via MyRecipes.com. It’s a peanut butter version that has crushed peanuts in the batter and a peanut butter glaze that gets drizzled on at the end (my dream recipe?).

I love that it calls for using Greek yogurt, flax and nut butter which sets it apart from others. If making it for a special event like brunch with friends, you can add the glaze but the bread itself is great and can stand alone without it.

On Healthy Baking

As I mentioned above, when prepping something for snacks and/or breakfast throughout the week, I usually make some substitutions for a more nutrient-dense and filling end product. Basically I need something that’s going to give me some solid energy. To me, this is what “healthy baking” is all about. None of this cardboard, flavorless, artificially sweetened stuff.

Muffins vs. Quick Bread

Since muffins are portable, don’t require slicing in the morning (how is it possible that so many crumbs come off of one loaf?) and also take less time to bake, I almost always opt for baking muffins over a loaf. Especially if I have liners which cuts way down on clean up time.

If you really wanted to make this a loaf, I’m confident that would work great too! The bake time would likely be closer to 45-60 minutes.

Ingredient Substitutions

Here are some other substitutions you might make based on the ingredients you have, and any special dietary preferences:

• All-purpose flour for the white whole wheat
• Coconut sugar for the brown sugar (regular white cane sugar would likely work fine too, but the flavor difference would be more drastic)
• Buttermilk or sour cream for the Greek yogurt
• Canola oil or melted coconut oil for the butter
• Dried fruit and/or nuts for the chocolate chips. You could also omit these altogether.

The nice thing about muffins – they are generally really forgiving, so a great starting point for newbies. My tip (learned from experience) is don’t try to change too many things at once.

After baking for 20-22 minutes, the tops should be just slightly browned, mounded on the top (not flat) and a toothpick should come out clean when poked in the middle.

How to Include Muffins in a Balanced Meal

Having a homemade baked good prepped and ready to go is a great way to start the week. These are already fairly balanced (see nutrition info below), but I still like to make sure to include multiple food groups in meals and snacks when possible. [I always recommend this to my LRN nutrition coaching clients too].

Here are some of my favorite ways to serve muffins in meals and snacks throughout the week. One muffin, served with:

• Breakfast: Hard-boiled eggs (2) + fresh berries
• Breakfast: Swipe of nut butter + green smoothie
• Afternoon Snack: Homemade iced cardamom latte
• Nighttime Snack: Small glass of soy milk
• Dessert: Top warmed muffin with honey-cinnamon butter

These peanut butter banana chocolate chip muffins are not only delicious, but they come together fast and are a super substantial snack option.

Keep in mind that they’re best eaten within two days so it might be a good idea to freeze half for later, then pull them out and warm for a quick breakfast on the go.

If you make these, don’t forget to share photos and leave a review in the comments!

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This recipe was originally published on October 30th, 2017. Photos and post were updated on October 20th, 2019.